Migration from NT to Windows 2003 and Exchange from 5.5 to 2003

Event Review: Migrating from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 (Session ITPROADD-02)

 

Event Review: Upgrading from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003 (Session ITPROEXC-02)

Windows 2003 Basic

In windows 2000 trust relationship created between two different forests is intransitive. While windows 2003 not only support trust relationship between two forests but also provide support for cross forest transitive trust relationship. Cross trust forest relation can be configured only between two forests

E.g. if a cross-forest trust relationship is configured between Forest A and Forest B, and Forest B also has a cross-forest transitive trust relationship with Forest C, this does not mean that Forest A trusts Forest C.

For this forest functional level should Windows 2003 forest functional level

Windows 2003 support domain renaming and also changing the position of domain within forest is possible. Even forest root domain can be renamed but it’s is not possible to change. Again forest functional level should be windows 2003.

Domain controller renaming is also supported in windows 2003 without demoting Domain controller. For this domain functional level should be windows 2003

Active directory partition

1. Schema partition: Every DC has schema partition, which holds object types and their properties
2. Configuration partition: Every DC has configuration partition which holds sites and services information
3. Domain partition: Every DC has domain partition which holds domain specific information, which includes information of object specific to domain
4. Application directory partition: New feature in windows 2003, information could be replicated only to specific domain controller. Cannot store security principals e.g. users, computers or security group

My 2006 Experience in UK

Hello Guys,
I’m back after long UK Trip (1st Feb 2006 —-19th March 2006). Actually this is late announcement. I came back on 19 March,2006
Due to heavy Work load Was not able to communicate with you.
Most of the guys keep asking me how was experience and I was not able to answer this question.
Few things I noticed

1. People in UK respect other people a lot. Thank you and sorry is being used by them innumerable times.
2. UK people have real sense of driving and always give side to other vehicles. Traffic rules are paper and on road as well.
3. In UK it is consider BAD if someone Honk at you
4. In UK every religion is Treated with Utmost respect.
5. They love to roam around and njoy life a lot.
6. UK is best destination for Holiday especially London
7. Transport is very well managed in UK, though London people keep complaining about it.
8. There is something called as congestion Tax in London where in the house in that congested area are being paid by the government and the Tax is collected in the form
9. of Toll who pass those areas during peak Time.
10. Things are pretty cheap in London from Londoners point of view. for example we would think twice in India before buying Tropicana Juice But in UK it is just one Pound.
11. It is much cheaper to buy a four wheeler compare to two wheeler
12. Bus is much cheaper in UK than Train. Reverse is true in India
13. Lots of Architechure building present in Indian railways stations is also visible in UK
14. there is lot to add….but these are most important observation from my side. It is quite possible you might have visited UK and you would have different view all together of London.
15. It is consider best place for older people.

 

Thanks for reading. Hope it will find you useful. Please don;t hesitate to contact me if you need any information about UK. I would be able to help you

Thanks and Regards,
Preetam Zare
NB:I didn’t informed anyone about my flying to UK.

Stage 2 checks

$Servers=get-content servers.txt
foreach($server in $Servers) {
$PingStatus=get-wmiobject Win32_Pingstatus -filter “Address=’$Server’”
$IPaddress=$PingStatus.protocoladdress
if($PingStatus.protocoladdress) {
Get-WmiObject win32_operatingsystem -ComputerName $Server | Format-list __Server,csdversion,caption
Get-WmiObject win32_pagefile -ComputerName $Server | Format-list drive,description,Filesize,csname
Get-WmiObject win32_logicalmemoryconfiguration -ComputerName $Server | Format-list TotalPhysicalMemory
write-host “*****************************************************”

}
}

Bulk Ping

$Servers=get-content servers.txt
foreach($server in $Servers) {
$PingStatus=get-wmiobject Win32_Pingstatus -filter “Address=’$Server’”
$IPaddress=$PingStatus.protocoladdress
if($PingStatus.protocoladdress) {
write-host “**********************REACHABLE $sERVER*******************************” -FOREGROUND GREEN

}
ELSE {
write-host “********************** NOT REACHABLLE $sERVER*******************************” -FOREGROUND RED
}

}

Check Error reporting service

$Servers=get-content servers.txt
foreach($server in $Servers) {
$PingStatus=get-wmiobject Win32_Pingstatus -filter “Address=’$Server’”
$IPaddress=$PingStatus.protocoladdress

if($PingStatus.protocoladdress) {

$SVCSTATE=Get-WmiObject win32_service -computer $Server -Filter “name=’ERsvc’”

Write-Host $Server,$SVCstate.name  “is” $SVCstate.state

}

}

Tips in Powershell

I thought I bring in more information about powershell. Since starting windows2008 powershell comes inbuilt and we must be preparing to use it in day-to-day operations. One-liners which i felt are our day-to-day have been posted here. Hope will be helpful to someone.

HOW TO GET THE ENV-PATH SET IN THE SYSTEM?

PS Env:\> Get-Item path | Format-Table -Wrap

Name                           Value
—-                           —–
Path                           C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPower
                               Shell\v1.0;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\

HOW TO WRITE A SIMPLE FUNCTION TO OPEN NOTEPAD?

function np {Invoke-Item C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE}

HOW TO GET SERVICE AND IT’S STATUS?

Get-Service | ?{$_.name -like “*Exchange*”} | sort-object Status | Format-Table Name,displayname,status -AutoSize

Let’s Provision Exchange 2007 in 15 minutes or 4-Steps

 Before I begin, let me tell you that this is done for provisioning Exchange 2007 server for test labs. But idea can be easily extended and customized by Production provisioning in same time…Maximum 15 minutes. I’m won’t be surprise if someone can do all these things in one step. But then I’m happy with 15 mins.

Step first

1. Create OU

You can review and download code from here

Screen shot is below

2. Create Users

you can review and download code from here

BulkUser-SampleCSVFile

3. Create Storage group. Then create database and mount it. All in one step

you can review and download code from here

4. Enable Mailbox for choice of yours Mailbox database

you can review and download code from here

For creating of active directory you would like to refer my http://techstarts.wordpress.com/category/active-directory/

I was inspired to do write the blog by Evan from Microsoft http://blogs.technet.com/evand/. Many Thanks to him.

Mgmt Shell or EMS whatever you call ==>

 

It is management shell or Exchange management shell, it nothing less than magic for anyone who will be responsible for exchange operations going forward exchange 2007 ==>

Get Exchange Related Services

Get-Service | Where{$_.name -like “msexchange*”} | sort-object status | Format-Table –Wrap

=====

Generally syntax to get help in powershell

get-help about -role *mailbox*

get-help *mailbox*

Get-command -name *mailbox

=====

Few command I came across could be helpful

Get-MailboxStatistics | Sort-Object totalitemsize -Descending | Select-Object -First 3

===== 

Basics of Powershell:

[PS] C:\Program Files\Support Tools>.\dcdiag.exe | where{$_ -like “*passed*”}

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test Connectivity

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test Replications

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test NCSecDesc

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test NetLogons

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test Advertising

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test KnowsOfRoleHolders

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test RidManager

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test MachineAccount

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test Services

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test ObjectsReplicated

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test frssysvol

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test frsevent

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test kccevent

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test systemlog

         ……………………. WS03R2EEEXCHLCS passed test VerifyReferences

         ……………………. ForestDnsZones passed test CrossRefValidation

         ……………………. ForestDnsZones passed test CheckSDRefDom

         ……………………. DomainDnsZones passed test CrossRefValidation

         ……………………. DomainDnsZones passed test CheckSDRefDom

         ……………………. Schema passed test CrossRefValidation

         ……………………. Schema passed test CheckSDRefDom

         ……………………. Configuration passed test CrossRefValidation

         ……………………. Configuration passed test CheckSDRefDom

         ……………………. contoso passed test CrossRefValidation

         ……………………. contoso passed test CheckSDRefDom

         ……………………. contoso.com passed test Intersite

         ……………………. contoso.com passed test FsmoCheck

 

$Netdiagresult=./netdiag

$Netdiagresult | where{$_ -like “*failed*” -or $_ -like “*skipped*”}

 

 

My old powershell blog is also present at http://techstarts.wordpress.com and I’m also blogging at http://vmzare.wordpress.com

 

 

NEW THINGS AND JUST DISCOVERED THINGS

One database per storage group is design requirement of CCR.

/PrepareLegacyExchangepermission

Use this parameter only if you have servers that are running Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange

server 2003 in your organization

If you move mailbox using either EMC or EMS log file is created under C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\Logging\MigrationLogs

Exchange 2007 Mailbox cannot be modified using ADUC, there are not extended in ADUC

Active-Active cluster is no longer supported

Single copy cluster is available in enterprise edition

Also CCR is not available in Standard edition

At registry level you can check what roles are installed on the exchange server by parsing to hklm/software/Microsoft/exchange/v8.0